Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
I had another article written and queued up for this week, but on a snowy walk with the dogs I listened to the most recent episode of the Hard Fork podcast and it sparked an story idea that jumped the queue. Apologies to my precious little “marketing moments” article; you’ll have to wait another week.
Why? Because values always trump outrank marketing moments. (Had to quickly consult the synonym finder there.)
One of Hard Fork’s hosts is Casey Newton. (Kevin Roose of the New York Times is the other co-host.) The tech podcast is always an interesting listen, plus the chemistry behind Casey and Kevin is fun.
Casey’s “day job” is founder and editor of Platformer, a popular tech news publication (173,000 subscribers). He uses the Substack platform to publish and distribute his team’s tech articles, along with managing editor Zoe Schiffer and editorial assistant Lindsey Choo.
Substack recently became embroiled in a controversy at the confluence of Nazis and free speech. I won’t go into detail on all the facts – a quick Google will bring you up to speed or you can listen to the Hard Fork episode.
The platforming of pro-Nazi content by Substack has caused Casey to move Platformer to another newsletter publishing site. He's doing so, as he relates, as a business decision. He didn’t want his newsletter potentially placed alongside pro-Nazi publications via Substack’s recommendation algorithms, and he felt many of his subscribers would react negatively to Platformer remaining on a site that hosts and amplifies the reach of pro-Nazi messaging.
Here’s what I found interesting: Largely absent from the discussion on Hard Fork were the switchover costs Platformer will incur, which I think could be significant. Perhaps this was because they are easy to anticipate, but hard to calculate until you make the change. While he acknowledged alternative newsletter publishing sites would lower costs - taking an annual service fee rather than a cut of subscriptions - you could argue this will be offset by the hassle, downtime, and possible subscriber loss occasioned by switching over to a new publishing site.
What he didn't talk about was the significant exposure Platformer will likely sacrifice by leaving behind the same powerful Substack recommendation algorithms that propel the Nazi messaging, including Substack's large reader community and a social media recommendation feature, Notes. While Platformer’s content is stellar, I’m certain its large audience was generated in part thanks to amplification via Substack’s recommendation engines, which I’m led to believe are powerful and a boon to writers on the platform. That’s possibly a big hit to Platformer’s growth going forward.
(For what it’s worth, I’ve been envious of this attribute – Substack’s recommendation capabilities – and have wondered if it would be help spur growth in subscribers for Godspeed so I can reach more people with the message of business for good. Guess I'll leave that question unanswered for now.)
I’m sure Casey and his team thought about this in their deliberations of whether to stay or go. After all, it was framed as a business decision, and they must have determined they were willing to suffer any consequences.
As I sit here on the sidelines and survey the situation, I look at it as a decision based not on business, but on the business's values. As I’ve long said, values aren’t worth anything unless they cost you something. In this instance, Casey proved that Platformer’s values are indeed worth something, to him, his team, and to his subscribers.
I opened this "set" with a lyric from a song by The Clash. I’ll end with a line from an old Bruce Cockburn song, Lovers in a Dangerous Time, that comes to mind every time I confront an ethical business question with real costs attached to it:
“Nothing worth having comes without having some kind of fight.”
Casey Newton – welcome to the fight.
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
💬 Quote of the Week
As it's said – and paraphrasing here – the arc of the moral universe is long, but it sure can bend toward the ... strange. ↓
💥 Quick Hits
If you're here, hello👋 - you must be a newsletter reader. Since our lede story is about newsletters, let's continue the theme with three fab publications you might consider adding to your reading list.
• Climate Influence - Incisive takes on climate leadership from Andrea Learned.
• Digital Marketing Tips - Always, always, always something useful from Andy Crestodina of certified B Corp Orbit Media.
• Oxymoron - Soulful and provocative thoughts on sustainable business from Tom Greenwood of B Corp Whole Grain Digital.
🤔 Trivia Time
Lucky you - today's Tuesday Trivia is a Two-fer. (You'll need to tell me if think the two questions are related 😉.)
Question 1: What percentage of Americans say climate scientists understand the causes of climate change “very well”?
- 14%
- 22%
- 48%
- 67%
Question 2: What percentage of Americans believe they are smarter than the average person?
- 14%
- 22%
- 48%
- 67%
Today's trivia answers can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Trivia Answers
Question 1: 14% of Americans think climate scientists understand climate change "very well." Source: Pew Research Center, Washington, DC (Harper's Index)
Question 2: 67% of Americans think they are smarter than the average person. Source: Chris Chabris, Geinsinger Health System, Lewisburg, PA. (Harper's Index)
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